


Human Nature

by ardett



Series: Platonic VLD Week 2017 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Platonic VLD Week, Self-Hatred, self-destructive thoughts, voltron s2 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-26 13:05:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9898346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Keith knows who the enemy is. It’s in the blood.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For [Platonic VLD Week](http://platonicvldweek.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Day Four Prompt: Enemies / ~~Family~~

Keith hold his dagger loosely in his hand. He concentrates for a moment, inhaling slowly. The blade glows, lengthens, and even though it’s exactly what he intended to happen, he can’t help but flinch.

_ (Galra.) _

The sword slips out of his grip, clattering to the floor and transmuting back into its resting form. How could this happen? All this time, before Voltron, before the Garrison, he hasn’t been all human. 

His palms are bare without his gloves, calloused and warm. The veins on his wrist trace blue up through his hand. In this light, they look closer to purple.

He has always bled red, hasn’t he?

But how much of his blood is human?

He knows what he looks like. He looks human, with his pale skin, his rounded ears, his pupiled eyes. But sometimes when he looks in the mirror, he can’t help but see an enemy.

 

He takes to training alone more often. Better to avoid Allura’s mistrustful gaze, Lance’s small flinches, Shiro’s nervousness. Part of him thinks it might just be in his head. After all, he hasn’t changed. It seems absurd that that the others would suddenly think he didn’t belong there. But the other part of him says of course he doesn’t belong anymore. He’s Galra, the enemy who the Alteans have fought with for tens of thousands of years, who the paladins could very well be fighting for the rest of their lives. 

It makes him think of his old history classes, when they learned about World War II. Japanese-americans,  _ American citizens, _ interned into camps because Japan, a country most of them had never seen, was warring with the United States. It’s human nature to be mistrustful of difference. Hasn’t history shown that over and over again? Isn’t that what he’s being shown now?

He just thought that perhaps considering they are defenders of a whole universe, perhaps considering they are a team composed all different of genders and races, perhaps considering their team already consists of humans and aliens working together, things might be different out here in space. But no.

His blood defines him.

 

(Sometimes when he’s training, he thinks that maybe if he spills enough of his blood on the floor, the Galra will just flow right out of him. The training simulations aren’t designed to maim or kill. He tries his best anyway.)

 

He’s so deep in a sense of battle that he doesn’t even hear the door open behind him. He blocks the robot’s sword with his bayard, grabbing the other end of his blade to stabilize his defense. The metal slices into his skin and something warm runs down the hilt.

“Woah, Keith!” Keith’s concentration slips and the robot surges forward with new force, sending Keith stumbling off balance. “End training sequence!” someone calls.

The training robot deactivates and Keith scowls, turning to look at the intruder. “What’s the deal, man?” Hunk looks incredulously back at him, eyes following the drops of red that fly from Keith as he shakes out his hand with a grimace.

“What’s the deal? What’s the deal with grabbing your sword, huh? You should really get to a healing pod, you’re covered in-”

“I’m fine.” Keith brushes past Hunk but the yellow paladin follows.

“Um, no. No, you’re not. We haven’t even seen you for like, days, and I find you here literally beating yourself up.”

“Haven’t seen me for days? Why would I stick around?” The aggression mounts in his voice and he feels a little bad about taking it out on Hunk, but honestly, the other boy can’t be that oblivious.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hunk’s steps speed up until he walking side by side with Keith.

“It means leave me alone.” A pained hiss escapes Keith as he shrugs on his jacket. Hunk’s expression grows more determined.

“You gotta take care of those injuries, Keith. Come on, I’ll help you.”

Keith raises his eyebrows. “What?”

“I can put on some of the bandages. I’m not just gonna leave you like this. You’re bleeding everywhere. Once the adrenaline wears off, your chances of fainting from blood loss are increased by almost 20%, did you know that? So I really think it would be best-”

“Alright, alright, take me to the infirmary!” Keith throws up his hands, walking out of the room with Hunk besides him.

Their walk down the hallways is mostly silent, other than Hunk occasionally asking if he’s experiencing any symptoms for fainting, claiming he just wants to be ready in case he has to catch Keith.

When they get to the infirmary, Hunk gestures for Keith to sit down on one of the beds. As Keith situates himself, the yellow paladin grabs a few rolls of gauze and cotton wrap, along with something that looks like disinfectant. He pulls up a chair and Keith holds out his hand.

Hunk’s touches are delicate and firm. Keith’s hand is deftly cleaned and bandaged. Hunk’s gaze lingers, however, once the deepest cut is wrapped. He turns over Keith’s hand, pushing up the red paladin’s sleeves. Keith doesn’t think much of it until Hunk says, “Some of these are a few days old.”

“Hm? Yeah, I’ve been training a lot.”

“No, I’ve seen you train before. You’re not usually this beat up. I mean, some of these look like they’re going to scar.”

Keith shrugs. “Whatever.”

“You would only get these kind of injuries if you were being careless or deliberately reckless. Keith-”

Keith’s defenses rise up. With gritted teeth, he growls, “What do you even care?”

Hunk blinks, brow scrunching disbelief. “What?”

“What a little more Galra blood spilled, right? Ha, I can’t believe I ever thought-”  _ I belonged. _ He cuts himself off, swallowing. That was too much; he said too much.

Hunk gapes at him. “That’s- that’s what this is about? You’ve been deliberately hurting yourself because of…”

“Because I’m the enemy, Hunk!” Keith explodes. “Ask anyone! Ask Allura, for quiznak’s sake! It’s in my blood!”

“So what, you think you can just get rid of it by bleeding everywhere?”

“Yes!” scream Keith. A stunned silence follows in the word’s wake.

“Keith…” Hunk tries to meet his eyes, but Keith looks away. “That’s not who you are. You’re a paladin of Voltron. The red lion didn’t choose you because you’re Galra, or anything to do with what’s in your blood. It choose you because you’re an amazing pilot, because you’re loyal, because you’re brave. Being Galra is part of who you are but it doesn’t define you. You decide that. You will always be our teammate and our friend, no matter what you are.”

“Yeah?” He’s sure Hunk can hear the desperate hopefulness in his voice.

“Yeah. You belong with us. We’re family now.”

Keith glances up, the smallest light returning to his eyes. “Even if I turn purple?”

Hunk laughs. “Even if you turn purple,” and Keith smiles.


End file.
